What About the Supreme Court?

The always insightful Ellen Goodman has a good column in today's Boston Globe about the future of the Supreme Court. This election is crucial as it is possible that three justices (Stevens, Ginsburg, and Souter) will step down in the next few years, giving the new president an opportunity to shape the Court for years to come, much as Bush has done with his picks of Roberts and Alito. Given the stakes, it is disheartening that very little attention is being paid to the Court during this election. Of course, with the economy in tatters and a two-front war being fought, it perhaps is not surprising that voters aren't focusing on the composition of the Supreme Court. However, it remains an important issue. I don't remember any questions about the Supreme Court during the first presidential debate, and I only remember one mention of the Court during the vice-presidential debate (although there was one fascinating comment by Sarah Palin about the possibility of enhancing the Vice President's powers, despite the limited nature of the Veep's role as laid out in Article I of the Constitution). I guess Governor Palin was too busy cramming for the debate to actually read the description of the job to which she aspires. Perhaps the next two presidential debates will address possible choices for future Supreme Court vacancies.